A Boeing 747 operating as United Airlines Flight 811 from Honolulu to Auckland is above the Pacific Ocean when part of the RH forward fuselage rips off. An improperly closed cargo door was blown open by the force of the cabin pressurization. Nine people are ejected from the aircraft; some are still strapped to their seats. The Boeing 747 safely lands back at Honolulu without any more loss of life.

2. Racing The Storm

During their pre-landing checks during approach to Little Rock National Airport, the crew of American Airlines Flight 1420 forget to preset the spoilers to extend automatically when the aircraft touches down. The MD-82 overruns the runway and eleven people are killed.

3. Fire on Board

A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operating as Swissair Flight 111 experiences a fire in the cockpit due to faulty wiring. The pilots divert the aircraft to Halifax, Nova Scotia, but vital systems fail while dumping fuel in preparation for landing. The aircraft crashes into the sea off Peggy's Cove with no survivors.

4. Cutting Corners

Alaska Airlines Flight 261 is heading for Seattle via San Francisco but its trimmable horizontal stabilizer jams due to an improperly maintained jackscrew assembly. The stabilizer breaks free from its control system and the aircraft dives inverted into the Pacific Ocean, causing the death of all on board.

5. Flying Blind

The pilots of Aeroper&uacute; Flight 603 are confused by false speed and altitude readings and contradictory warnings from the aircraft's air data system, caused by duct tape over the static ports. The pilots descend the aircraft over the Pacific Ocean in preparation for an emergency landing, but it is much lower than the altimeter indicates. One wingtip touches the water and the aircraft crashes seconds later, killing everyone on board.

6. Flying on Empty

Air Transat Flight 236 leaks large amounts of fuel, but the pilots discount the ECAM warnings and the aircraft runs out of fuel. The pilots glide the aircraft to a naval base in the Azores where it lands safely. The post-incident investigation determines that improper maintenance actions during an engine change caused a hydraulic oil pipe and a fuel pipe to touch each other, resulting in the fracture of the fuel pipe.